DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc, 20th Century Fox, Timothy Zahn, Barbara Hambly, YKW and the other writers of the expanded Star Wars Universe. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Derrin followed Master Skywalker through the stretch of rocky ground he was leading them through. He didn't quite get what the point of this hike was, but if Master Skywalker said to do it, that was what he would do. Problem was, Master Skywalker was a talker, and he wasn't saying anything. That made him uneasy.
Not that the Master wasn't cheerful. He was evening whistling lightly. He was in a rather good mood, which puzzled Derrin even more. Finally, he could take it no longer and started the conversation.
"Master Skywalker?"
"Hmmm?"
Okay, he'd started it. Where to go from there? And how could he make light conversation with the man who was the husband of the woman he thought about night and day? Mara Skywalker, red-haired, emerald-eyed goddess of Yavin IV. She carried a mystery about her like a thick, flowing cloak, and if there was anything Derrin loved, it was a mystery. And the way she moved during lightsaber practice....Derrin had had to focus his attention hard on Vaiya to keep himself from getting too "distracted" by the fresh memories. He'd heard that she'd once been an Imperial, even worked for the Emperor himself, but had long since mended her ways and was now one of the "good guys."
Still, the mystery was killing him.
"Yes, Derrin?" the Master repeated, sparing him a glance over his shoulder.
Derrin shrugged. "I don't remember. It was nothing."
"Nothing is ever nothing," Luke corrected, stopping. "Tell me...what were you thinking about?"
Derrin stopped and sat down on a rock, and quickly found out how badly he needed to do so. "I was just wondering about...about you and Master Jade Skywalker."
Luke shook his head. "Don't ever call her that, Derrin," he said with a half-smile.
Derrin cocked his head. "Which part?"
"Any of it, except the Skywalker. She is Jedi Skywalker to her students. If you call her master, you'll get a lecture that may last days. And only Vaiya has the Jade in her name anymore." Luke took a breath. "But what did you want to know?"
"I don't know. We talk about you sometimes, the students, I mean," Derrin began. "We have all sorts of theories about you two, but none of them seem to fit."
"Theories about what?" The Master looked amused.
"Well....it's just that...you're the Master. You run the academy, and do most of the work...."
"Um humm."
"But M...Jedi Skywalker is hardly the good Jedi wife she pretends to be. I've fought with her, trained with her."
"And your question would be?" Luke said, his eyebrow raised.
Derrin shrugged. "Stupid, of course," he muttered.
Luke finally chuckled. "Not really. I've heard it before. Mara hasn't known much peace in her life. She's always been the warrior and the fighter. She's always been running to the rescue of someone, even if she didn't want to. She had to kick and bite and scratch and claw her way through the galaxy. Now, all she wants to do is have a chance to raise our daughter in peace. The Jedi way," Luke reminded him.
"I can tell that Jedi Skywalker is a fighter. And I know that you've given us the big lecture on how a Jedi does not crave excitement or adventure. However, you also said that we could enjoy them if destiny chose to send them to us."
Luke waved his hand dismissively. "I've gotten away from the destiny part of the lecture. But you're right. So, what are you saying? You want to see Mara in action?"
Derrin tried to hide a smile. "I would settle for a recounting of her active days."
A few moments passed, and Luke stood up. He was chuckling softly, remembering. "I don't know if you should settle for that, Derrin," he said. "Witnessing Mara in action is a site worth seeing. And there aren't too many Jedi around here aside from me that can boast of having such a big strong protector." He said the last words with affection, but Derrin jumped up, a worried frown on his face.
"Master, I wasn't saying that you needed protection. After all, you are a Jedi Master--"
Luke practically snorted. "Easy, Derrin. Trust me, I got into my fair share of messes even the Force couldn't get me out of. But Mara did. Many times over." Then the blue eyes focused hard on Derrin and the student felt like the Master could read his thoughts. "You're sweet on her, aren't you?"
For a moment, Derrin was tempted to say, "Which one?" for he knew full well that Vaiya had a severe crush on him and that Master Skywalker and Jedi Skywalker knew about it, too. But all he dared do was nod his head.
"Don't worry, I'm not offended. Sith, I'm flattered." Luke grinned, and for a minute Derrin was tempted to believe he was as young as himself; even though the Master was well into his fifites, he didn't look too far past his 30's. "Mara is a real piece of work, and she's my wife. I'm proud of who she's become. I love her, too. She's actually pretty easy to love, if you know her."
"I don't know her," Derrin said, slightly embarrassed.
"Yes, but you've found that the fastest way to her heart was through her daughter." Now the Master looked slightly disapproving.
Derrin stiffed defensively. "I have done nothing with Vaiya, Master---"
Luke held up a hand. "I know that. Nothing physical. But Vaiya is going through a rough time. And my intuition is telling me that things are going to get rough. You're going to get a chance to see more than just Mara in action, Derrin. Before you leave Yavin IV, you'll realize things you might never have wanted to know."
To this, Derrin just gave a slightly disarming grin. "But that's the price of the Jedi, isn't it, Master?" he said.
Luke nodded gravely. "Yes, it is. Now we can work on your training."
Mara was slightly out of breath when she reached the landing port, but the innocent eyes of the traffic controllers regarded her with calm politeness.
"Jedi Skywalker. How may we serve?" said the director, a man in his mid-forties who reminded her of a clean-cut version of Karrde.
"Who just landed here?" Mara asked, her breath quickly regulating itself.
"Is there a problem, Jedi Skywalker?"
Mara shook her hand evasively. "Just tell me who it was," she demanded calmly.
The director shrugged and looked down at the datapad. "His name is...Jaid...I can't pronounce this last name." He showed it to her. Saphringer. Mara's stomach sank. "Do you know him?" he asked.
Mara didn't answer. Instead, she said, "Is he still here?"
"Yes," the director said, his face brightening. "They're checking out his ship right now, and he's in the main office. He said something about wanting to find the Academy. We told him it's not an Academy anymore, but a School. He seemed disappointed. Too bad, too. He's just a kid, really. Maybe 18 or 19."
"Twenty, actually," came a young voice. Mara smoothly turned around to see the spitting image of Cal when he was 19 as she had first seen him. Dark hair, blue eyes, innocent features, and a smile to make anything female faint. For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
"Are you Jedi Mara Skywalker?" he asked, stepping forward. "I tried to call into the Academy, but they said both Skywalkers were out on training missions." He smiled again, the worried frown leaving his face. "But of course, you're Jedi Skywalker. Your red hair is a bit famous in the core worlds."
Mara regarded him carefully. There was something slightly hypnotic about him. But he seemed so innocent and hopeful. "Is it?" she asked. "Well...my fame just continues to spread." And she grinned at her own silly joke.
"My name," the man-child began, "is Jaid Saphringer. I think you know my father."
Mara nodded. "A long time ago."
Jaid smiled, a bit embarrassed. "Yes, Mother wasn't too happy when she learned about you. I think I was named after you. It didn't make for a good marriage." He shook himself. "But that's all a very long story."
"You'll have to tell us. Master Skywalker will be returning from his training mission shortly. You can come with me if you came here for the Jedi schooling."
Jaid's face brightened. "Thank you, Jedi Skywalker," he said eagerly.
Mara just shrugged, remembering that there was still much about the galaxy that she didn't understand--and currently, didn't want to.